I admit that one night at a hotel is not a lot to go on. And I may be a picky guest. But I think my one-day stay at Mandalay Bay may contain a lesson in workforce planning for the Vegas resort and other companies wrestling with uneven business demand.

Our financial services company recently introduced shift work for some service positions, which has led to grumbling and general discontent. For example, our service-desk positions previously were 8 a.m.-5 p.m. jobs, but business needs warranted going to a 24/5 schedule. We are concerned about a drop in morale, along with the attendant productivity drops. We tried to roll this out gradually, giving service people time to adjust and informing them of the change through group meetings and one on one. Still, morale is at a new low since we began the shift-work schedule. How could we have missed on this so badly? And how can we repair the damage?
—Sinking Fast, manager, finance/insurance/real estate, Johannesburg, South Africa